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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
561 of 588 people found the following review helpful.
Decent, inexpensive, entry-level tablet
By Nobody's Fool
This is the next-generation Kindle Fire HD but with an updated operating system and new features, a redesigned case (with the power and volume control buttons more readily accessible) and the power adapter included rather than as a separate $19.99 accessory. And all of this at a great price. When you consider the formerly separate cost of the adapter, you'd have spent $80 more just a couple of months ago for almost the same tablet.
NOTE: This is the base model of the three models that Amazon is shipping this year: the Kindle Fire HD, the Kindle Fire HDX, and the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9". Despite what I wrote above, this model is not really the successor for the Kindle Fire HD; it's the successor for the Kindle Fire. The successor for last year's Kindle Fire HD is this year's Kindle Fire HDX. I think a lot of reviewers are missing that point because of Amazon's unfortunate naming conventions. See http://www.amazon.com/review/R2KVHBC7NMNOGU for my review of the Kindle Fire HDX.
The Amazon tablets are primarily content consumption devices, best suited for connecting to the Amazon ecosystem, including videos, music, books, apps, and so on. With the free Prime trial subscription, you can check out the Prime Instant Video options and watch movies and shows at no charge until the Free Trial expires automatically. For videos, music, and books, the Amazon selection is at or near the top of the list; for apps, much less so. Roughly 90% of the top 100 apps are available on Amazon.com, as well as 100,000 others, but that's only a small fraction of what is available with Google or Apple.
It's not quite as bad as it sounds because, while the competition has ten times as many apps, most of those apps are, um ... how shall I put this ... less than stellar (look up Sturgeon's Law). If there are specific apps you need or want, you definitely should double-check before purchasing to make sure that they are available. The apps that will likely never become available on the Kindle Fire ecosystem are those apps that require Google services (i.e., anything that uses Google location services). One ameloriating factor is that it is possible to side-load most of the apps from the Google Play store onto an Amazon tablet and a web search on side-loading apps onto Kindle Fire will show dozens of websites with detailed instructions. If the app you are sideloading requires a Google service to work, though, it will not run on the Fire, even if you manage to successfully install it.
It has an updated OS and updated feature software (but does not include the free unlimited Mayday customer support feature; you'll have to move up to the HDX to get that). The software updates include the ability to download some Prime Instant Videos to your device and watch them offline, enhanced accessibility, enhanced enterprise controls and features (so now it's better suited for office work), enhanced email client, enhanced parental controls, improved X-Ray features (now including lyrics for music, as well as additional information for both books and movies), integration with GoodReads (coming soon), and the like.
Where I noticed the biggest difference was the home screen. The default view is still the carousel but if you swipe upward, you'll see a more traditional icon view. The "Recommended for you" display on the home screen is now smaller and much less obtrusive (and it can be turned off in the settings). Amazon has also added multi-tasking of a sort, where swiping up from the bottom of the screen while you're in an app shows you the 20 most-recently-used items from your home screen, so you can quickly switch from one app to another without returning to the home screen.
There is also a left panel available on most screens (but not the home screen) and in some of the apps, with navigation links and settings to make it easier to navigate and control your tablet or to navigate within the app. If you tap the center of your display and then swipe left while you're reading a book, for example, you'll see a panel that shows you the table of contents, the About the Author link, the Sync to Furthest Page Read link, and so on.
The Kindle FreeTime option and the parental controls are still among the best in the business. If you want a tablet for a child and want to control what they can access, how long they can use the tablet at any given time, and the like, Amazon has you covered.
You can now also schedule "Quiet Time" on the tablet, where notification sounds and pop-up notifications are disabled, either on a temporary basis by simply pushing a button or on a scheduled basis. Frankly, I doubt I'll ever use this feature but if you're the type who likes to read or watch video until you fall asleep, it's kind of nice to be able to disable all sounds so that you don't get rudely awakened when, e.g., someone plays a new word in your Words with Friends game.
As I noted, the Kindle Fire HD does not support the new "Mayday" feature that Amazon has been advertising. However, if you swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the Settings option on the top right, and then select Help, you'll see various options, including Wifi information and troubleshooting tips, a comprehensive User Guide, information on providing feedback on select features, and information on contacting Customer Service via email or phone.
So what are the drawbacks? No camera or microphone, so no video conferencing, no Skype, no picture-taking. A little underpowered with a slightly reduced battery life and slightly higher weight when compared to the newest tablets (e.g., the Kindle Fire HDX has a quad-core processor, 11 hour battery life, and a 10.7 oz. weight compared to the Kindle Fire HD dual-core processor, 10 hour battery life, and 12.2 oz weight). On the other hand, you're paying $90 less for the Kindle Fire HD so you're getting a pretty good value.
Also, like the other Kindle Fire tablets, as well as the Apple iPad and the Google Nexus, the Kindle tablet line doesn't have a micro-SD slot, so the assumption is that you're consuming content from the cloud. This is fine when you're using your tablet with wifi; not so good when you're traveling and want to load up your tablet with content for the trip. If the latter is something you expect to do regularly, you might want to consider the 16GB version. Also, if all of your content is on iTunes or on Google Play, you would have to side-load everything onto the tablet. As is true of Apple and Google tablets, there's no way to automatically connect to the cloud storage of the competition.
Update: I was asked in the comments about downloading Prime Instant Videos. I verified that I can download Prime Instant Videos to my Kindle Fire HD. However, that option is not available for all movies and TV shows. It looks like they had to get the permission of the studios and not all of them said yes. So, for example, I was able to download "Casablanca" but not able to download "The Avengers" even though both are part of the Prime Instant Video collection and both are available for free streaming.
Update: There seems to be some questions (and some misinformation) about the Amazon Prime 30-day free trial that comes with these tablets. That 30-day free trial expires automatically unless you specifically renew; they will not charge your credit card. That differs from the experience when you explicitly sign up for the Prime 30-day free trial on the Amazon.com website. In the latter case, unless you cancel, your 30-day free trial membership will automatically convert to the annual membership.
Update: How does this Kindle Fire HD differ from the previous generation Kindle Fire HD? (Although the real comparison should be with the previous generation base Kindle Fire, for more on that, see below.)
- It's a bit lighter (12.2 oz vs. 13.9 oz)
- It's a bit smaller (7.5" x 5.0" x 0.42" vs. 7.6" x 5.4" x 0.4")
- It's a bit faster (1.5GHz dual-core CPU compared to 1.2GHz)
- A redesigned case with power and volume control buttons that are easy to find!
- The base version of the new Kindle Fire HD has 8 GB instead of 16 GB.
- No camera
- No HDMI out (but see the description above for details on how Amazon is providing a software solution for sharing your tablet screen on your television)
- No ambient light sensor, so the brightness is always set manually
- It contains a power adapter, something that was sold separately with last year's model
- It has an updated OS and updated feature software.
- It's $60 cheaper ($80 cheaper if you count the power adapter). Since last year's Kindle Fire HD had 16GB rather than 8GB, perhaps the comparison ought to be that it's $30 cheaper ($50 if you count the power adapter).
Update:
As I wrote above, this isn't the successor for the 2012 Kindle Fire HD; it's the successor for the base Kindle Fire. There were three tablets last year: Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, and Kindle Fire HD 8.9". There are three tablets this year: Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HDX, and Kindle Fire HDX 8.9". If you bought the Kindle Fire HD last year, the equivalent model this year is the Kindle Fire HDX. So how does this year's base model compare with last year's base model?
- It's got a much better display (1280x800 vs. 1024x600), plus better technology driving the display (10-point multi-touch vs. 2-point multi-touch). The display is also brighter and cleaner. There really is no comparison.
- It's got better sound (including Dolby audio).
- It's much faster (1.5GHz OMAP 4470 vs. 1.2GHz OMAP4430).
- It's lighter (12.2 oz vs. 14.1 oz).
- It has better battery life (10 hours vs. 9 hours).
- It's $20 cheaper ($40 cheaper if you count the power adapter).
Last year's base model had no microphone or camera; neither does this year's. Last year's base model had no HDMI output; neither does this year's. Last year's base model had 8GB storage; so does this year's. Last year's base model had no ambient light sensor; neither does this year's. And so on... When you look at it that way, this is a hell of a deal.
Update:
Now that I have a Kindle Fire HDX tablet (see http://www.amazon.com/review/R2KVHBC7NMNOGU for my review), I'm in a little better position to talk about which one I'd recommend:
You should get the Kindle Fire HDX if:
- You're a techie who wants the latest and greatest, the best display, the fastest processor.
- You need a camera for Skype or other video app.
- You play graphics-intensive games (e.g., racing games).
- The size and weight matter to you, even in such small increments as this.
- You think you will need the Mayday technical support.
You should get the Kindle Fire HD if:
- Price is a factor. $90 cheaper is not an insignificant amount. This really is an excellent value for the money.
- You want an inexpensive tablet for a child (and, for this case, the lack of a camera might well be a plus)
- All you want is a basic tablet for reading books, playing music, watching the occasional video, playing Words with Friends, and the like. While the screen on the HD isn't as stunning as is it on the HDX, this is still a true HD screen and it is very good.
Note: I check back here pretty regularly. If you have questions, I'll be happy to try to answer them.
363 of 385 people found the following review helpful.
It has some nice, new features, but I'm glad I kept my 1st gen model too!!
By Judy S.
I already owned a First Generation KFHD 7"16 GB when I ordered this newer device, which turns out to be a scaled down version of last year's model. For example it lacks a camera, microphone, & HDMI port. But this new (Second Generation) KFHD has many new features that I do like. Here are my initial impressions: I like the placement of the on/off & volume buttons. Being on opposite sides makes it unlikely to hit the wrong one. I never cared for the carousel and now there's a choice to have favorites on the home screen, and the apps/books can be rearranged to your liking. I was very surprised that web pages can no longer be placed in the favorites bar (which is now referred to as simply "home"). I don't know why Amazon removed this option, and we also are unable to have the last accessed web page appear in the carousel. But you can still bookmark your favorite web pages & YouTube videos for easy access.
When I play songs purchased from Amazon's MP 3 store the lyrics scroll down karaoke style. Nice feature, but it doesn't work on every song. Here's a cool new feature: when I'm reading or using an app and I swipe to the left it brings up recently accessed items, so you don't have to first go "home" to access other books/apps.
In terms of sound, I find it to be tinny and not as rich as it is on the original KFHD. But you can really improve the sound of music by wearing a good set of ear buds. Ironically, music sounds muffled unless you hold the device in landscape mode with your hands covering the speakers. Holding it this way projects the sound out to you.
In terms of speed, this new model loads web pages and email faster, which isn't surprising considering that it has a 1.5GHz processor compared to 1.2GHz on the older model.
I like the placement of the USB charging port. It's now on the upper left hand side (when in landscape mode). On the older model it's on the bottom, which makes it awkward to stand it up while charging.
**AMAZON PRIME VIDEO DOWNLOADS HAS ARRIVED!!! Wow, it's great to be able to watch shows offline, without a WIFI connection! I just downloaded the show "Chopped", it took about five minutes (for a 45 minute show). I was surprised that two 45 minute shows used 2 GB of storage space, but it was a cinch to delete them once viewed. I discovered other shows that can be downloaded, such as Nova, Twilight Zone, The Universe, and The Human Spark. I'm sure there are many others. I haven't come across a movie with this ability yet...
**I just discovered many, many Prime movies can be downloaded!!!
Amazon promises a software update on this model that will allow us to sort our books and apps into "collections"! This will be a wonderful feature to have because now we have to scroll through all of our content to find the book or app we want to access.
Many people are complaining about the lack of a user guide, so I wanted to mention that it comes installed on the device itself. You can access it by swiping down from the top of the screen where the time is displayed & tapping on "help".
Here's a link for Amazon.com help:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeld=201306980
Then tap on "Kindle Help, Video Tutorials & Tools", and then tap on "Kindle Fire HD 2nd Generation". This should help get everyone started!
If you found this review helpful please click on the "yes" button..
339 of 362 people found the following review helpful.
A 4.5 star tablet (Updated)
By MarkM
First off, I would like to say this tablet is a great deal for just $139.99. I tried finding a tablet for under 100$ that would just work properly, just to let you know it's impossible. First, I want to tell you how I decided to buy this tablet.
I first bought the 9 inch Dragon touch tablet for 78$ but to be blunt it sucked. It was so slow that the web browser would always freeze, even if I did a simple Google search. I did not want to take a chance with it and returned it after 2 days of using it and decided to give the kindle fire HD a chance.
Exterior: The exterior is well built. No loose pieces, and the plastic is very firm. My previous cheap tablet had plastic that felt it was going to snap if you held it too hard. Of course the iPad mini has a glass screen and aluminum body, but it also starts at 329$. There are 2 ports: a micro usb and a headphone jack to plug in your headphones. The nice thing is that the micro usb is universal and finding a plug is cheap and easy to find. Although, amazon does include a very nice and not cheaply made cable/ wall charger along with your kindle. The buttons for the volume and power are a nice touch. I would not be surprised if new generation tablets will include these style buttons.
Only down side is there is no port for an SD card so you can store more memory. It would be a nice feature but if you really need all that storage, go buy a computer.
Display: One word, amazing. Maybe I am pushing it but the screen is so clear. I own an iPhone 5 and my eyes prefer my kindle. I love reading on this machine and for the price, amazon did a good job with this one.
Internal/processor: I never owned the older versions of the kindle, so I won't be able to compare to them. I can say that this kindle is not slow. My previous tablet took a couple of seconds to respond to my touch but there is no delay on this kindle. As far as apps go, I downloaded that deer hunting game to test out if the kindle can handle it. The answer is yes, and didn't even struggle :).
WiFi: Surfing the web is awesome on this device. I watched a tv series(arrested development, which I do recommend) and the video playback was great. It was very smooth and even when I went outside the video was fine. I added the outside part because my 2010 MacBook pro starts to get a jittery WiFi connection when I bring it outside my house. But the overall speed is in between my iPhone 5 and MacBook pro, where it should be.
Battery: Yeah... I noticed the older version of the kindle was 11 hours and this one is 10 hours. But if you're on the kindle for 10 hours, GET A JOB!
Camera: I wish there was a camera and Mic in this kindle so I could Skype with my family. Keeping the price and size in mind you can't really blame amazon. Well, at least the NSA can't see or hear what I'm doing. If you want those features then you can always buy the better version of the kindle.
Sound: I don't know what the previous kindle sounded like, but this kindle has great speakers. I was in my room watching my show and my roommates(my parents..) told me to turn it down. I could understand everything that was said in the show and that's all that matters. If you bought this tablet to listen to quality music, I don't know what to tell you.
Setup: I've seen lots of people saying that the setup is a pain in the you know what. I was waiting to see what they were talking about but I had no issue. When I received my tablet, I turned on the screen and connected to my WiFi. I had no problems and then an amazon load screen came up and I said, here we goooo... The load screen only lasted 2 minutes and it was completed. I didn't have another one, nor did I have an issue setting up my kindle. My email, WiFi, amazon account, and other set ups went very smoothly without any issues.
I am not doubting that other people had problems with their tablets, no electronic device is perfect. Either amazon saw that there was a problem and fixed it, I got lucky with my tablet, or maybe so many people were trying to register their new kindle and amazon servers could not handle it. Wouldn't have been the first time a new product had its servers go down(obamacare, ios 7, COD servers, etc.)
Bluetooth:Haven't tried it yet, sorry! But apparently no one has any issues with it. 10/21/13 I have tested it out by hooking it up to my car and it works. I don't own a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard but you should not have a problem pairing them with the kindle.
SO, if you want a general summary, this is a fantastic tablet for the price. This tablet is probably the cheapest tablet that you can buy with it being dependable. There are a lot of cheaper tablets out there, but are only good if you want bald spots. Keep the price in mind when buying this tablet, this is why amazon offers a lot better kindles that cost more. This kindle is for someone that is on a budget, wants a device to surf the web,reading books, looking at photos, watching movies, playing games, and obviously "facebooking." If you want something more "show off-ie" then this isn't the kindle tablet for you.
Also, keep in mind amazon is an extraordinary company. They are fair priced for almost everything they sell on their website, especially their books. I cannot thank them enough for saving hundreds of dollars on books I need for college. For not being an electronics company like Apple, Samsung Sony etc, they can definitely give those companies a run for their money with their tablets. So thank you amazon for making a very affordable, dependable tablet!
I will update this if I see something out of the ordinary or if something goes wrong that shouldn't have.
P.S. If there spelling mistakes, sorry. I used my new kindle to type this all out. I figured it would be good practice.
UPDATE 10/21/13
Firstly, I want to mention is that I am having sound glitches. When I'm watching a video the sound just shuts off and I have to press the rewind button 1 to 3 times. In doing so, the video loads itself again and the sound magically comes back on. I know it's a software issue because sometimes when I load my apps there is no sound even when it is turned on. I shut off the app (sometimes a couple of times) and the sound comes back. If anyone knows how to fix the issue or has the same problem, let me know. Thank you.
Another problem I have is trying to connect the micro usb cable in. I think it is because the way the sides of the kindle are angled. Usually I plug in all my electronics at night, with no lights on. But with the kindle, I have to leave the light on so I can find the port to plug in the charger.
There is no flash player in the kindle, but that's no surprise since android and iPads don't either. There might be manual ways on installing it but I wouldn't know.
When you use you're kindle while charging it, it gets pretty warm. Not really a problem just something that was noticeable.
Now, time for some good news! The display is great outside, I can watch all my shows when the sun is out. This is a huge plus for me.
The true battery life. I tested it out by watching 4 episodes of a show that lasted about 22 minutes. Each show drained my battery 5%, keep in mind my display brightness was set around 75%. Doing the math, the battery life will last you roughly 7.5 hours when watching videos. When I web surf, read books, play a game here and there I would have enough battery life to last me a little less than 2 days. I think the battery life would be a lot better if there was a light sensor on the kindle, but there isn't. So if you want to save battery you need to manually change the brightness yourself because the kindle is not able to.
Two suggestions so far.
1. Amazon, I wish your kindle cases were cheaper. Two of your cases cost as much as the kindle itself! They do look nice and pretty cool but not for that price. Sorry, but I went with the 20$ marware case and it does the job.
2. Instead of offering $2 amazon music credit incentives when you buy certain products. A $2 amazon coins incentive would be incredible. Almost everything in the app store costs money and amazon coins would be very useful for a lot of your loyal customers.
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